


Until We Meet Again

by DavidRoseBrewer



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, M/M, this isnt as depressing as it sounds... hopefully, we stan emily patterson in this house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29661465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidRoseBrewer/pseuds/DavidRoseBrewer
Summary: He’d only intended to be a few minutes and then he was going to join the guys for their pre-gig dinner.Except by the time he’d arrived at the Oldsmobile, the boys were already being loaded into an ambulance, the red flashing lights burning their way into Alex’s skin.ORAlex is the one left behind the night of the gig, not Bobby. He's lost his three best friends and a boyfriend all in one go.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Emily Patterson, Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters
Comments: 25
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> **Please read**
> 
> I did not tag this as Major Character Death because Alex canonically dies, it just happens a different way in this story. 
> 
> This is angsty and contains descriptions of grief and loneliness so please take this as a warning if this is likely to be a trigger for you. If you want any further details or have any questions then you can always ask me - I'm @ursulawrites on Tumblr. I'm probably making it sound way worse than it is but I just want to be on the safe side.
> 
> Without giving too much away, there is a happy ending involved. 
> 
> Shoutout to Mandy for being my beta, and for helping me come up with the beach date headcanon that I totally borrowed/stole for this story 🥰
> 
> The story is complete, I will be updating every couple of days. 
> 
> ~ Inspired by the song Who Knew by Pink ~

If someone said three years from now you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out ‘cause they're all wrong. And that last kiss, I'll cherish, until we meet again. 

And time makes it harder, I wish I could remember. But I keep your memory. You visit me in my sleep. My darling. Who knew?

-x-

Numb.

That’s all Alex was in the days and weeks that followed the fateful July night. The night he had lost everything. 

He would forever wish that he had gone to get street dogs with his friends instead of staying behind to talk to Rose about music. He’d only intended to be a few minutes and then he was going to join the guys for their pre-gig dinner. 

Except by the time he’d arrived at the Oldsmobile, the boys were already being loaded into an ambulance, the red flashing lights burning their way into Alex’s skin. 

By some miracle, the ambulance crew allowed him to ride in the back once he’d convinced them he was their friend. Their best friend. Luke’s boyfriend. He’d clutched at Luke’s hand, and Reggie’s. He would have grabbed Bobby’s too if he could have reached him. He was just praying with everything he had that they would be okay. They couldn’t leave him, they just couldn’t.

Except they did.

The machines in the ambulance started beeping, the driver pulling over so they could start emergency CPR. It was horrifying to watch, and a part of Alex himself died as he heard them call the time of death. His friends, his family, the love of his life, all gone.

-x-

The funerals were the worst. So many people were fussing over him, trying to make sure he was okay. Everyone knew who he was, the band went everywhere together and music was all they ever talked about. Except now, he was the only one left.

His parents attended, although he really wished they hadn’t. They were only doing it to be polite, to make a public show of support given everything that Alex was evidently going through. His parent’s hadn’t been genuinely supportive though since the day he had found the courage to tell them he was gay. They’d gotten even less supportive when they found out he was dating Luke, so to have them attend his boyfriend’s funeral was the icing on what had to be the shittiest cake ever.

Reggie’s parents had been there too, crying with the others about the loss of their son. Alex couldn’t help but feel bitter on Reggie’s behalf. Why did it take Reggie dying for them to finally put their differences aside? Ever since he’d met Reggie, all the other boy had wanted was a quiet home life and for his parents to get along. It definitely shouldn’t have taken  _ this  _ for them to finally get there.

He tried to ignore them all though, choosing to sit with Luke’s family instead. Emily had always been tough with Luke, but she was never malicious. She had just spent eighteen years trying to keep Luke on a good path, fighting Luke’s boundless energy and iron-willed stubbornness. 

Things should have been looking up for the two of them though. Luke had finally graduated high school, dragged kicking and screaming through his senior year by a combination of Emily’s yelling and Alex’s coaxing and bribery. It turned out Alex had quite some sway over Luke when it came to studying if he got affection and sexual favours out of it. 

So with the issue of school and graduation out of the way, there should have been less fuel on the fire between Emily and Luke. She had backed off about the whole music career, satisfied that at least Luke now had a backup with his diploma. The two of them still had a way to go before their relationship was fully repaired from the damage it’d taken over the last few years. But they had time, or at least they all had thought they had time. But now Luke was gone, never getting the chance to patch things up with his mom.

Alex had sat with Emily through the proceedings, the two of them clutching onto each other as they cried, Mitch sat on Emily’s other side. No matter what arguments they had with Luke, the two of them had always been kind to Alex, and Alex was forever going to be grateful for that. 

He remembered being terrified to tell the Pattersons about his relationship with Luke. Alex and Luke had already told Alex’s parents. It had gone horribly with so much yelling and crying, he didn’t want to risk that happening again with Mitch and Emily. They were only seventeen, they needed parental support from somewhere, no matter what Luke said.

But Luke had persuaded him in the end. It didn’t take much, Luke could persuade anyone to do anything. He was so charming and charismatic. It only took a flash of his smile and a little of his infectious energy and that would be that. So Alex had reluctantly agreed and they’d told Mitch and Emily over dinner one night that they had progressed from friends to boyfriends. 

It had taken the Pattersons a while to get used to the change, to get used to watching Luke press kisses against Alex’s cheek whilst they made breakfast or seeing them cuddled up on the couch to watch movies together. But even during those changes, they’d never once let the boys feel like they loved them any less. Emily had even gone out of her way to shower Alex in more love once she found out how the Mercers had reacted to the news.

Somehow, they made it through the day. Alex was pretty sure he had no tears left, his head was throbbing and his eyes and throat were scratchy. He was a mess, but at least no-one could blame him. He knew it was time to leave, his parents were getting restless and the crowd of people was starting to thin out. Part of him wanted to stay forever, maybe if he didn’t leave then this wouldn’t be real. He wouldn’t have had to say goodbye to his best friends forever.

But he knew realistically, he had to go home sometime. He headed over to Emily to say goodbye, wanting to cry all over again as she scooped him in her arms for a long hug.

“Call me anytime you need to,” Emily whispered to him as she caught sight of his parents lingering behind them. “Seriously. It can be about anything, I’ll be here.” 

“Thank you.” Alex choked out, his eyes stinging for the ten-thousandth time that day.

He held out for as long as he could before reluctantly pulling away. He turned and followed his parents out of the venue, sitting silently in the backseat for the entirety of the drive. Once they were back home, he made his way up to his room. He turned his stereo on, collapsing face-first onto his bed as he tried to get lost in the music. It was hard since it just reminded him of the band, of Luke, of everything he’d lost; but it was better than sitting in silence and letting his thoughts run free instead.

-x-

It had been two months and Alex was still numb. 

He had quit his job, not able to even entertain the idea of dragging himself out of bed to go and work. It wasn’t like it was an important job, it was just an entry-level marketing job that paid terribly. His dad had gotten it for him, which meant that he was annoyed when Alex quit, complaining that Alex had let his dad’s friends down. But frankly, Alex couldn’t care less.

He just moped around the house, barely getting out of bed most days. There was nothing he wouldn’t do just to be able to go and hang out with his friends one more time. Hell, he’d even listen to Luke and Reggie argue about country music for three hours again than be without them.

But this was the hand he’d been dealt, there was nothing he could do about it now.

-x-

It had been four months when Alex was starting to think that maybe the numbness wasn’t going to go away.

It was an unseasonably warm November day and he decided to get out of the house, sick of his parents complaining about how he was always there and how he never did anything anymore. So he got dressed and headed for the beach.

He didn’t mean to end up outside Reggie’s house but his feet took him there on autopilot. Alex took a long look at the house before turning towards the ocean, stumbling onto the sand and sitting down in their old spot underneath one of the palm trees. 

He sat for hours, watching and listening to the waves rolling onto the shore. At one point he swore he heard Luke’s laugh, turning around only to be disappointed yet again that it was only in his imagination. It was just a memory, albeit one that he cherished dearly.

It had been one of their first dates, Luke convincing him that they should go to the beach and hang out just the two of them. The two of them had been careful to keep their distance, maintaining an outward image of just two friends having fun together. There was so much laughing that day, as the two of them messed around in the ocean, splashing each other and wrestling until they got tired. 

They’d sat back on the sand, lying next to each other as they just soaked in how nice it was to be spending time together. Luke had even thrown a spare towel over the space between them, allowing them to hold each other’s hand, their interlocked fingers hidden by the towel. It had been so exciting, so exhilarating. That was until Reggie had found them, bounding towards the two of them, oblivious to what he was interrupting as Luke and Alex bolted apart from each other.

They spent the rest of the day with Reggie, going to get burgers with just the three of them. Alex still remembered the coy smile Luke gave him, the two of them sharing fries and inconspicuously playing footsie under the table as Reggie chatted away about the girl he liked in his English class. Reggie eventually headed home and Alex and Luke’s evening ended with a makeout session in Alex’s mom’s car.

Looking back, it’s one of his favourite dates they ever went on. It was perfect, and there’s nothing in the world he wouldn’t give to be able to relive that day right now. He looks around the beach, silently hating everyone for having fun. He’s not sure of the last time he truly smiled, it was probably that day of the Orpheum gig when Luke kissed him before soundcheck, promising that they would have their own special celebration just the two of them later that night. If Alex had had any inkling that it would be their last kiss, he would have dragged Luke into the green room and never let him go. 

With a sigh, Alex got up and decided to head off. He’d had enough of watching other people be happy for one day. He wasn’t going home though, no, he made his way over to a different home instead. The Patterson house. He’d kept in touch with Emily, the two of them having their own special chats whenever missing Luke (and Reggie and Bobby in Alex’s case) got too much for either of them. They would sit on the porch swing together and reminisce about their favourite stories, or talk about what they imagined they would all be getting up to if the events of that July day never happened.

They had stories and theories about Luke throwing all his caution to the wind, diving into the gigging scene headfirst now that he didn’t have school to hold him back. There was also the theory that Luke would have been the one to show up with a wonky ‘Sunset Curve’ tattoo after getting way too drunk one night. Alex would have tried to stop him but he would have been encouraged by Reggie and Bobby, the two of them enabling all of Luke’s terrible ideas. Reggie just genuinely got swept up in Luke’s enthusiasm most of the time, whereas Bobby usually did it for his own amusement.

Today though, they didn’t sit on the porch swing. When he knocked on the door, Emily answered with an apron on and bits of flour covering her face and clothes. 

“Oh! Alex! I didn’t know you were coming today.” Emily smiled warmly at him. It was a warmth that his parents had never shown him, even before his disastrous coming out. “I’m just baking some cupcakes, maybe you can help.” She added, stepping aside to let him in. 

He loved Emily. Here she was, willing to accommodate him into her day despite him showing up unannounced and making himself an inconvenience. He really didn’t want to intrude, she was just trying to get on with her life.

“Alexander Mercer, get your butt in this house now.” She could clearly see him hesitating on the doorstep, and could clearly read his mind, just like Luke could. Or maybe he was just transparent as fuck. Either way, it snapped him out of his daze and he obediently stepped through the doorway. 

He toed his sneakers off and made his way towards the kitchen. He paused, as he always did, to look at the photos of Luke that were hanging on the hallway walls. His favourite was the one of all four boys at their high school graduation. They were all grinning at the camera, Luke’s arms hooked around Reggie and Alex’s shoulders as they celebrated their freedom, the start of the rest of their lives. 

That had been less than seven months ago and now Alex was the only one left. If someone had told him that back then, it would have been unfathomable to him. His boys would never leave him, yet here he was. He tried to pull himself back before he spiralled too hard, pushing his way on into the kitchen.

Alex helped Emily finish her cupcakes, revelling in the domesticity of it all. She did most of the baking as Alex sat at the dining table and talked to her about his life and how he was doing. Emily shared her own life updates, including the fact she had joined a book club, which was who the cupcakes were for. She told him she was worried about impressing them.

“Don’t worry, they’re lucky to have you,” Alex reassured her, even if he had a suspicion she was just playing up her nerves to make Alex feel better about his own insecurities. 

“You’re the best.” He smiled, meaning it with his whole heart as she sent him home with a tub full of cupcakes.

-x-

It had been six months when Alex finally got another job. 

He didn’t want one but he knew that it was the only way he was ever going to be able to move out of his parents’ house. The plan had always been for Sunset Curve to get a small crappy apartment together, but now he was just going to have to fly that flag for all of them.

Plus it gave him something to do, a reason to leave the house and kept his brain occupied with something other than missing his friends for a few hours most days. 

It wasn’t anything fancy or high paying, and it didn’t have any long term career prospects. It was a local music store that was looking for someone to help out. His dad was less than impressed, but to Alex it was perfect. It was casual, low pressure and allowed him to be around music. That was all he’d ever known and he wasn’t going to run away from that now.

-x-

Ten months had now passed, and Alex was getting by.

He still missed his best friends and his boyfriend with every fibre of his being, but the days passed a lot more quickly now. He found he could function almost normally and his heart felt less heavy. He still cried about once a week, but at least that was an improvement on the three-times-a-day it once was.

The downside was that he felt like he was losing his grip on his memories. He still had his core memories but he found it harder to remember the small things. Like the way it felt when Luke held his hand, or the small squeaking sound that Reggie would make whenever Luke embarrassed him in front of a girl he was trying to impress. 

Christmas and New Years had both been and gone, as well as Bobby’s birthday. He and Emily had made a cake together to celebrate the latter, determined to remember the boys as best they could. He had sat with her and Mitch, eating the cake as they watched a movie on TV. 

Alex tried his best to ignore the familiar gaping hole which was the space next to him on the Patterson family couch. It was where Luke should have been, cuddled up with Alex as Emily and Mitch took the armchairs. It was where they’d always been when they spent time here. He had never mentioned it to the Pattersons, but it seemed like they understood since neither had even tried to sit in the space next to him whenever they did this. 

-x-

The one year anniversary crept up on Alex before he knew it. 

He spent the day in a daze, wondering how this was even real life. They had been gone a year. Alex’s life had been empty for a full three hundred and sixty-five days. 

He found the courage to make his way to the cemetery where the boys were all buried. He didn’t come here often, it freaked him out too much, but it seemed like a good day to visit.

Alex made his way through the rows of headstones, first reaching Bobby’s. He sat down, talking out loud as he updated Bobby on everything he could think to tell him. He told him all about his life, about what he’s heard Bobby’s parents are up to and all about the new No Doubt album. They had both shared an appreciation for the band before, one that the other boys didn’t seem to get.

With every topic he could think of exhausted, he got up and moved onto the next headstone. Reggie. He followed the same format, talking to Reggie about everything that was going on in the world. Alex overheard his parents talking about how Reggie’s parents had moved away to Colorado so he passed that information on. He was also approached by a girl whilst working in the music store a few weeks ago. She recognised Alex from high school and wanted to pass on her condolences about his friends. She had told him that she had always thought Reggie was cute and regretted not asking him out. Alex retold the story now, smiling at the excitement he knew Reggie would have had at that particular piece of news.

When he ran out of news for Reggie, he forced himself to his feet. His limbs felt heavier now as he made his way over to his final spot for the afternoon. 

Luke.

There were not enough words in the English language to describe how much Alex missed Luke. His boyfriend. His best friend. His rock. The love of his life.

Ever since they met at age fourteen, they’d been inseparable. It was such a cliche, but Alex had fallen in love with Luke even before he knew what love was. He just knew that his friend had this infectious energy and love for life that Alex couldn’t get enough of. It was like a drug, and one he never wanted to give up.

Alex had eventually figured himself out and came out to his friends, delighted and beyond relieved that it hadn’t changed anything for them. Never in his wildest,  _ wildest _ , dreams did he ever think that he would end up dating Luke though. Luke had never shown any interest in guys, had never given him any indication that they were anything more than friends. So Alex hadn’t dared to let himself hope, not even for a second, that he’d be able to act on his crush.

Yet he’d just turned seventeen when Luke kissed him out of the blue. Well, maybe it hadn’t been  _ entirely _ out of the blue. Alex had just convinced himself that he’d imagined the lingering looks that Luke kept giving him and the secret smiles that were just for him. He’d told himself that it was all in his head, not wanting to give himself any kind of false hope. 

Alex was so grateful Luke had no tact and no ability to hide his feelings. Without him making the first move, the two would have probably danced around each other for years. Luke may have even been gone without Alex ever knowing how he felt. At least they’d gotten nearly a year together before Luke died. At least Alex had gotten to experience what it was like to be with Luke, to be loved by him. He had gotten to learn what it felt like to kiss Luke, to hold his hand, to go on dates. He had gotten to lose his virginity to someone he really, truly, cared about. Sure they had fights like any other couple, like any other friends, but they never lasted long. Alex would have those fights a thousand times over if it meant he could have Luke back.

Alex went through the same routine as the other boys, giving Luke life updates on anything and everything he could think of. He confessed how much he missed him, how much he still loved him, all the while his fingers twirled the bracelet on his wrist. It had been a present from Luke and it was something he knew he would never part with. He sat there for at least an hour, talking away and just hoping that somewhere, wherever he was, that Luke could hear him.

-x-

It had been fourteen months when Alex finally started to make some new friends. The girl from the night of the show, Rose, had come into the music store looking for a CD. Alex had recognised her, striking up a conversation. It was weird, thinking about how he may have been eating those tainted hot dogs with the boys if it hadn’t been for their conversation, but he couldn’t hold that against her. Nobody could have known what was about to happen that night.

The conversation had flowed fairly easily and Rose had invited him to hang out with her and her friends at a gig that weekend. Alex warily accepted, not wanting to erase his gig memories with his boys. Music and concerts had always been their thing, it felt wrong to do it with someone else.

At the same time, he was incredibly lonely and it would be nice to hang out with some people his own age. His friends would want him to be happy, wouldn’t they? He’d spent so long trying to hold onto them, but he knew at some point he would have to start moving forward. The boys were gone and he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life alone, so a gig with Rose and her friends it was.

The evening went surprisingly well. Alex even found himself smiling as the group sat around talking about music and making jokes with each other. It was nice to feel included, to feel like people were actually interested in what he had to say. Sure, they didn’t have a history together but every friendship had to start somewhere.

He was going to rebuild himself, and this was just the start.

-x-

Seventeen months had passed when Alex found himself agreeing to a date.

It was someone that Rose knew who she insisted would be great for him. Apparently, this guy was nice, funny, smart and good to look at. Alex didn’t really want to go, but Rose had insisted that he needed to put himself out there. That he needed to try to move on from Luke. 

She meant no disrespect, Alex knew that. She was just concerned he was stuck in a loop, that he would be forever holding himself out for Luke with no possibility of getting anything back. Alex knew she had a point so he reluctantly agreed that he would try it, just for her, and that he would go out on one date. It was mainly to get her off his case, but that was neither here nor there.

Alex was waiting in the movie theater lobby for his date when he heard his name being called. He turned around, coming face to face with someone who matched the description Rose had given him. Around six feet tall, dark hair, blue eyes, definitely cute. He reminded him a little of Luke, although he knew Luke would be getting all kinds of jealous right now. Alex couldn’t help but smile to himself, already imagining the pissy comments Luke would be making, especially about the guy’s height.

“Alex?”

“Huh?” He realised he had just been staring at the guy. Staring and thinking about his dead boyfriend. Was it technically his ex-boyfriend now? Either way, he’s off to a great start.

“I said I’m Matt. It’s nice to meet you.” Matt smiled. Alex half-heartedly attempted to return it.

“Nice to meet you too.”

The two bought tickets for the movie. They decided on the new Eddie Murphy film, The Nutty Professor. With a quick detour to get popcorn, the two joined the line to enter the theater. Matt slipped his hand between them, Alex jumping slightly as he felt the other guy’s fingers interlock with his.

He tried to distract himself but it just all felt wrong. He was holding hands with someone that wasn’t Luke. His hand almost felt hot and itchy, though he was positive he was just imagining that. Alex’s thoughts started to spiral as he realised Matt wanted to do more than just hold hands with him, that maybe he would be expecting more from this date. As if things couldn’t get any worse, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Alex?”  
  
He spun around, dropping Matt’s hand like he had been burned, and came face to face with Emily Patterson, Mitch standing just behind her.

“Emily, uh, hi.” He stuttered. It had been a while since he checked in with her, having been distracted with his new friends. He now felt terrible about that, especially since she had seen him holding hands with Matt. That she’d seen him with someone who wasn’t her son. She didn’t look mad though, no, she was smiling at him as sweetly as ever.

“Hi, I’m Matt.” Alex heard Matt say. Right, he had just frozen to the spot for the second time that evening. He watched, feeling like he was on tenterhooks as Matt reached out his hand for Emily and Mitch to shake.

“I’m Emily, this is my husband Mitch. We’re family friends of Alex’s.” 

Well, family friends definitely sounded better than “We’re Alex’s dead ex’s parents who have been better parents to him than his ever were.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Emily and Mitch.”

“You too, Matt.” Alex felt Emily’s gaze turn to him, shifting uncomfortably under her watch. “Alex, we’ll have to catch up soon. Now, we have a movie to watch so you two have fun.” Emily smiled, reaching out to squeeze Alex’s arm reassuringly. 

With one final round of smiles, the Pattersons waved goodbye and headed off to their own movie screen. Alex gave Matt a weak smile, unable to come up with an excuse for why he had basically just stopped functioning. Instead, he plastered his best fake smile on his face and dragged them off towards their theater.

He avoided holding hands again for the rest of the evening, dodging a goodbye kiss too as turned his cheek at the last second. Matt looked a little hurt but Alex couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty. He didn’t want Matt, he just wanted Luke. No matter how unrealistic that was.

-x-

It had been a week since his disastrous date with Matt when Alex found himself on the Patterson’s porch, raising his hand and knocking on the door.

Emily practically beamed at him when she opened the door, hurriedly inviting him in for a cup of coffee and some cake. Okay so maybe she wasn’t angry at him for going out with someone else. In fact, she’s the one who brings it up first.

“So Matt seemed nice.” Emily smiled. Her smile was always so warm and inviting. It reminded him of Luke’s smile. “How long have you been dating?” It was funny though, since Luke would most definitely _not_ be smiling about the topic they were discussing.

No, Luke had a jealous streak. He would not have approved of the idea that Alex was dating someone else. There was the time before they were even a couple and back when Luke was dating girls, where Alex had received a secret love note in his locker. Luke had acted moodily for two weeks, insisting Alex could do better than someone who couldn’t even sign their name to the note. 

Then after they started dating, there was the time that Luke had been convinced a guy in one of their small gig crowds had been checking him out. Alex had very much enjoyed the fallout of that one, even if he did have to wear his hoodie for a full week in the middle of August to hide the marks that Luke had left on his neck.

“Oh, uh, it was our first date.” Alex answered Emily’s question. “It was actually my first date, since y’know…”   
  
“Oh.”

“Yeah, and it sucked.” Alex admitted. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Luke. Matt was nice, but all I could think was that he wasn’t Luke. I just miss him so much.” He choked out, tears stinging at his eyes again. 

“Oh Alex.” Emily’s voice was soft. It was only a matter of seconds before he felt arms being bundled around him. Emily gave the best hugs, and it had been a while since he had one so he let himself melt into her arms, crying quietly into her sweater.

“You know you’re allowed to move on, right?” Emily spoke up a few minutes later. “Luke would want you to be happy.” 

“With someone else though? He was kind of the jealous type.” 

“He was never good at sharing. I think it was an only child thing.” Emily laughed softly. “But yes I’m sure of it. If he were here then no. But he’s not here, he’s not an option - so he would be okay with you finding someone else, Alex. That boy would have done anything to make you happy, and I know it would have killed him to see you like this.” 

That just made Alex cry harder, and it was a good few minutes before Emily carefully unwrapped him from her arms and sat back down opposite him.

“It’s so unfair, you know?” Alex sighed.

“I know, I know.” Emily nodded, passing across the box of tissues that was conveniently placed on the dining table.

-x-

It had been nineteen months since it happened, and two months since his date meltdown.

He’d told Rose all about the date and his subsequent conversation with Emily, and they’d agreed that Alex just wasn’t ready to date yet and that was totally fine. Instead he threw himself into his job and his friendships, working hard to keep himself going.

His conversation with Emily had made him think of Luke, not that he needed much reminding, but specifically of what Luke would think of seeing Alex moping about. Alex decided he needed to be his best self, to be the Alex that Luke would be proud of. 

He needed to live his life for the both of them, and for Reggie and Bobby too. He was the one who got to live, he needed to do this for all of Sunset Curve. 

-x-

Twenty one months had passed when Alex died.

-x-

He hadn’t been expecting it. Alex was on his way to work, not looking where he was going as he loaded a cassette into his Walkman. It was a mixtape that Luke had made for him when Alex first came out. It was a compilation of songs by all their favourite bands, but Luke had specifically picked the songs with strong themes about being yourself and not letting the world change you. It hadn’t even been a romantic gift, just one from one best friend to another. Alex listened to it whenever he needed a pick me up.

So Alex didn’t see that he’d approached the steps down to the store much faster than he realised. His foot slipped on the first step and he tumbled down, wincing in pain as he felt his body colliding with the concrete stairs. He heard his head crack against the ground as he rolled to a stop, the world going black.

He faintly heard the sound of sirens and people fussing around him. He felt himself being transferred to what he assumed was a stretcher before the sirens started again and he was on the move. 

Alex felt himself beginning to leave his body, and he knew he was dying, or he was already dead. He felt himself floating away and through the roof of the ambulance. For someone with bad anxiety, he was strangely calm about the whole thing.

It was probably just that he was finally on his way to see his boys again. At least, that’s what he was hoping. He hoped with every bone in his body (or ghost body) that wherever he was going, Luke, Reggie and Bobby would be there waiting for him with open arms.

-x-

Of course, hoping got Alex nowhere.

He was trapped in a dark room, by himself, forever. His anxiety had never been higher.

There was nothing to distract him, he was just alone with his thoughts. He didn’t even have that mixtape anymore, so he tried to sing the songs quietly to himself to keep the sadness away. 

That only worked for a short time though before his emotions got the better of him and the small dark space was filled with the sound of Alex crying. He could feel every sob wrecking his body but it wasn’t like there was anything he could do to stop it.

He felt utterly cheated. Why had life been so terrible to him? Who had he pissed off in a previous life? After a lot of soul searching in his early teens, Alex had realised that he wasn’t ashamed of being gay. But people being horrible to him because of it? That he could have done without. He could have also done without the judgemental homophobic parents, without his boyfriend and best friends dying at eighteen, without having to put up with shitty curveball after curveball that the universe wanted to throw at him.

The only constant presence in his life over the last two years had been Emily Patterson. An extra violent sob echoed through his body as he thought about her, thought about how Emily was going to have to hear about Alex’s death, all because he couldn’t look where he was fucking walking. He’d made that journey at least a hundred times, he’d never once tripped until today. He’d left her alone, all four of the boys now living in some bleak afterlife. Assuming that Luke, Reggie and Bobby had made it to a similar place. Unless they’d all gone to heaven and he was in some kind of hell. Maybe his parents were right, maybe he was being punished for being who he was.

He tried not to think about what was going to happen to his body. His parents were likely going to bury him. Who would even come to the funeral? He assumed Emily and Mitch would, hoping they would help to honour his legacy in a way that he knew his parents would never. He hoped they put his body at least somewhere near Luke and the others.

-x-

Eventually, Alex cried himself out, lying on his back with his hands over his face as he tried not to think too hard about what was going to happen to him now. Was this it? Was this all he got? Was it going to be an eternity of black?

He had probably only been there for two hours or so, he didn’t know if he could face a whole eternity of this. 

He was a good person he told himself. He deserved better than this. 

All of a sudden the room started to spin and Alex realised he was falling, and falling fast. He hit the ground with a sudden groan, lying on the floor blinking as he tried to get his bearings. 

He opened his eyes, recognising the ceiling in an instant. Was he really back in the studio?


	2. Chapter Two

Luke always suspected he would die young. He had a tendency to act first and think second which always got him into trouble. Safety wasn’t something that usually occurred to him. If something seemed fun then he would do it.

He just always thought he would die doing something cool like falling off a stage when he tried to crowd surf Sunset Curve’s thousands of fans on their stadium tour or something equally rock ‘n’ roll. He most definitely did not think that his demise would come about as the result of a tainted hotdog right before The Orpheum.

Luke was beyond gutted he never got to get up on that stage. He knew in his bones that it was going to be their big break, that they were going to make it. They were going to be legends. Except now, they weren’t.

He, Reggie and Bobby were now stuck in a dark room, an entire afterlife ahead of them. Luke was happy that he had his friends with him, that he wasn’t facing this alone, even though a huge part of him missed Alex. He was never going to see his boyfriend again, and Luke had very mixed feelings about that. 

Firstly, if he wanted to be selfish then he wished that Alex had come to get hotdogs with them so the four of them could be together forever as they’d always planned. Then he wouldn’t have to miss Alex for another second and they’d have an eternity together. 

Secondly, a part of him was glad that Alex survived. Alex got to live his life. He would get to see what twenty looked like, and thirty, and forty. He would grow up and get to experience life, travel, find a new love, settle down, become an old man. Luke hated that he wouldn’t get to see any of it, or be a part of any of it, but at least Alex would get to do it. He deserved that.

Thirdly, a part of him was scared for Alex. The boys were all he’d ever had. The four of them had been a family ever since they’d met in freshman year. It had been four years of making music, creating memories and forming irreplaceable bonds. Now Alex was all alone in the world, with no real friends and shitty parents. Luke’s heart broke for Alex as he tried not to think about how the blond would be handling everything.

It was bad enough when they were lying in the back of the ambulance. He could hear Alex’s voice and feel his hand on his. Luke tried desperately to stay with the voice but he couldn’t fight it. He had looked down as they floated out of their bodies, ghost tears already running down his face at the sight of Alex falling apart next to his body.

Luke began to cry softly again, burying his head into his knees where he sat on the floor. He hated crying in front of people but it wasn’t like he had any choice. There was nowhere to go, ever. Reggie was on him almost immediately, pulling him into a hug. Luke buried his face in Reggie’s shoulder, letting his tears fall into Reggie’s flannel. 

He cast a look up at Bobby, who was giving him a sympathetic smile. That was more than enough. Luke and Bobby had never had the same touchy/feely relationship that he had with Reggie and Alex so the look was fine. It spoke volumes for them. 

Luke had been crying on Reggie for at least a few minutes when he came to a sickening realization. He was being mopey about dying and losing Alex but Reggie and Bobby had both died too. They’d lost their lives and everything in them. Sure Reggie had terrible parents (Bobby’s were okay) and neither of them had many friends outside of the band. But they’d also lost Alex too, even if their relationship with him was different to his own. 

He was being selfish and Luke hated being selfish. Luke got to his feet, dragging Reggie with him as he closed the gap between them and Bobby. 

“What are you do-” Bobby started to ask before he’s tackled by Luke, Reggie being pulled along for the ride. Luke pulled them both into a group hug, holding onto them tightly. 

“I love you guys,” Luke whispered. “And I’m very sorry for suggesting the hotdogs.” 

-x-

After the hug, they all sat silently, each contemplating their current situation. It wasn’t every day that you died and then found out that the afterlife was just sitting in a dark room.

Luke found his thoughts drifting away to someone else, two someones in fact. His parents. How would they be coping without him? They’d always hated the idea of him being a musician or him being in a rock band. He knew his mom worried, probably more about the idea of drinking and drug use than the possibility of a contaminated hotdog. But she worried nonetheless.

She had a right to be worried it turned out, given that he was now dead at eighteen. It was so unfair, he’d finally gotten through high school and now it had all been ripped away from him. He had his entire life ahead of him. He was finally free to do what he wanted and be himself. He had the band, his music and a boyfriend he was very much in love with. He had it all and it just slipped through his fingers. 

He’d give anything for one of his mom’s hugs right now. For him to wake up as if this was all a dream, to be wrapped in Emily’s arms as she protected him from the world. Just like she had done when he was eight and had fallen off his skateboard and cut his knee, or when he’d been dumped by his first girlfriend at age eleven and he’d come home proclaiming it was the end of the world and that he’d never love again.

He loved his mom and he was just realising that he should have told her that more. He shouldn’t have yelled at her so much. They were just both so stubborn, convinced they each knew what was best. Luke didn’t want to go to school and Emily just wanted him to graduate. Emily had gotten her way in the end, although she couldn’t take all the credit for that. 

No, Alex had been instrumental in Luke finishing senior year. There was no way he would have stuck around if Alex hadn’t begged him to, asking Luke not to leave him in school alone. Plus there were all the times that Alex gave him incentives to study. Promises of make-out sessions in exchange for studying with Alex for an hour, or offers of a handjob if he got a B in an exam. 

There was even the time that he’d bargained with Alex and got the blond to agree to give him a striptease and lap dance if he got an A on his physics final. Alex had agreed. Even if he didn’t say it, he was clearly convinced that an A was beyond Luke’s grasp. It was a fair enough assessment, Luke had been getting Ds for most of his school career. Luke had never studied harder for a test though, enjoying the pure look of shock on Alex’s face when he handed over the graded paper. He enjoyed the resulting striptease even more though. Alex had initially been embarrassed but he was a good dancer, especially when he was doing it for Luke’s benefit, and he quickly forgot his shyness when Luke showed him just how much he appreciated it. 

Luke also liked the look of pride on his mom’s face when he handed the paper over to her. Her eyes had a ‘See, I told you you could do it’ sparkle to them as she pinned the paper to the front of the fridge. He struggled to keep a straight face when Alex next came over, enjoying the look of surprise on his boyfriend’s face when he saw the physics paper on show, his ears tinged pink at the memory of what exactly had gone on to get Luke that A.

With school out of the way, he and his mom should have been getting back to solid ground. They had some rebuilding to do, but they were going to get there. Except the universe had other plans and he never got the chance to make things right, or to get one last Emily Patterson hug. That would forever hurt.

-x-

It had been about an hour, his brain about to loop back to replaying all his favourite Alex memories when the room started to spin. He clutched onto Reggie and Bobby, holding onto them tightly as the floor seemed to drop away and they were falling. Wherever they were going, he needed to stay with them. There was no way he could do this afterlife thing on his own.

They were falling faster and faster, before they hit the ground with a thud. Luke groaned in pain, but at least he could still feel that he had Reggie on one side and Bobby on the other. 

He clambered to his feet, looking around in shock as he realised where he was. The studio. Somehow they had made it back to their studio. He was pulled from his thoughts though by the sound of screaming. There was a girl screaming, Reggie was screaming and even Bobby was yelling. He found himself yelling in surprise too, grabbing onto his two best friends for help. There were a few more seconds of screaming before the girl was gone, running from the garage.

“Woah, that was weird,” Luke commented, looking around the studio. “How did we even get back here?” He asked, relieved to be out of the dark room and somewhere familiar. If he was going to spend his afterlife anywhere, the studio with the band would have definitely been one of his first choices.

“Who cares man? It’s better than being back where we were.” Bobby shrugged.

“That’s true.” Reggie agreed. “I think anything would be better than being there.”

-x-

The girl returned a short while later, clutching a cross. There was even more yelling.

“Please stop screaming,” Reggie shouted across the noise.

“Yeah, this is worse than Kelly Taylor’s sixteenth birthday party when she saw Megan kissing her boyfriend,” Bobby commented drily, placing his finger against his ear and wincing at the volume.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my mom’s studio?” 

Well, that was new.

“Your mom’s studio? This is  _ our  _ studio.” Luke shot back. Although now that she mentioned it, there were a few differences. Like the floating chairs on the ceiling, the grand piano and it certainly smelt a lot fresher than he remembered it. Plus the guitar next to the couch ( _ his  _ couch!) was definitely not one of theirs.

“No, this is definitely our studio,” Bobby replied, stepping forwards and closer to the girl. The girl lunged her cross forward, her hand floating straight through. She looked horrified and confused all at the same time.

“Okay, I don’t think she’s getting it,” Reggie commented. “Hi, we’re ghosts. Just three ghosts and we’re just really happy to be home.”

“We’re actually in a band called Sunset Curve,” Luke explained.

“Tell your friends.” Reggie chimed in afterwards, like he always did.

“Last night was going to be a really big night for us, it was going to change our lives.” 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure it did.”

Luke rolled his eyes at Bobby before watching as the girl pulled a thin rectangle from her pocket. He had never seen anything like it, although from the look on his friends’ faces, neither had they.

“What is that? What are you doing?” He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“It’s my phone. No, stop talking to them. There’s no such thing as cute ghosts.”

“Oh, you think we’re cute?” God Luke loved that Reggie never changed, apparently not even in death.

“Who are you calling?” Bobby asked, leaning over to try and get a better look at the girl’s phone. Any cell phone the boys had seen had been about the size of a brick and certainly didn’t have a screen. The girl must be rich, they assumed.

“I’m googling Sunset Swerve.”

“ _ Sunset Curve.” _

She frowned at them again before looking at her phone. “There is a Sunset Curve, and you did die.” She started to explain, and Luke was relieved that her magic phone had backed up their story. “But you didn’t die last night. You died twenty-five years ago?”

Luke’s head started to spin as he tried to take that information in. They had been dead for twenty-five years? No, that couldn’t be right.

“Whaaat? No. After we floated out of the ambulance, we just went to that weird dark room.”

“Yeah but that was just for like an hour, we just showed up here.”

“Look, I’m just telling you what my phone says. It says you died in 1995 when you were eighteen and it’s now 2020.”

“So, this is the future?” Reggie asked. “Wait, if we’re like forty, does this mean we can buy beer now?” 

Luke could barely hear Reggie as his head continued to spin. It had been twenty-five years. A quarter of a century. Alex had been without them for longer than they’d even been alive in the first place. He tried to do the math in his head, eventually coming to the conclusion that Alex would be forty-three years old. Forty-three! A middle-aged man.

“Hey, does it say anything about someone called Alex?” Luke couldn’t help but ask. He was desperate to know how he was doing or what happened to him. Reggie and Bobby looked equally interested and nervous about the answer as all three of them looked on.

The girl’s eye scanned the screen again before she nodded.

“Yeah, it just says that Alex Mercer was the only surviving member of Sunset Curve. He was said to be heartbroken by the loss of his friends and bandmates, and disappeared from the music scene entirely.”

Shit, that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

-x-

The girl’s younger brother appeared, summoning her for dinner. It soon became clear that they were only visible to her and not to anyone else in the world. It made sense, that was how ghosts usually worked.

She was about to leave when Luke decided to break the ice a little and try to defuse some of the tension.

“Wait, we didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Julie.”

“Cool, I’m Luke by the way. This is…”

“Bobby, how’s it going?”

“I’m Reggie, nice to meet you.”

The boys introduced themselves, although Julie still looked just as pissed as she did before. They were interrupted then by the sound of yelling and a crash from behind them. Luke turned around, and if he still had a beating heart then he knew right then that it would have stopped once he saw what (or rather who) the source of the noise was.

“Alex?!?”


	3. Chapter Three

Alex was trying to wrap his head around how he had gotten back to the studio, looking around before his eyes fell on the garage doors, specifically who was standing right by them. He froze. Was this real? Or just some sick afterlife joke? 

Then he heard his name in that all familiar voice. The voice he’d been imagining in his head for the last two years. If he was actually in a coma and was going to wake up and have this all be fake then he was going to kill a bitch.

“Luke?” He choked out, pinching at his arm. This was more realistic than any of his previous dreams. There had been plenty of those, his subconscious filling his dreams with Luke nearly any time he fell asleep. He didn’t wake up though, he was still standing in the studio, mere feet from the three best friends he’d lost nearly two years ago. 

It was only a matter of seconds (if not milliseconds) before Luke had crossed the room, almost knocking Alex off his feet as he barreled into him. He wrapped his arms around him in the tightest hug that Alex had ever been given. Alex returned the favour, burying his face in Luke’s neck as he clutched onto him with every single bit of strength he had. 

“That’s Alex.” He heard Reggie say, vaguely aware that they weren’t alone.

But then he forgot about it again as Reggie and Bobby joined them, engulfing him and Luke in a giant group hug. This was all Alex had wanted since that July day in 1995. He started to cry, letting his tears fall into Luke’s blue hoodie and plaid jacket. It was the same outfit he’d been wearing the day they died. For the first time in years, they were happy tears that Alex was crying. He had his friends back, he had his family back, he had _Luke_ back. 

He eventually pulled back, leaving his arm around Luke’s shoulder as he looked around the studio again. He looked towards the garage doors, finding they were actually alone.

“Julie went to go have dinner,” Reggie explained. “So I guess we have time to catch Alex up.”

“Yes, what the fuck is going on?” Alex asked. “And who is Julie?”

-x-

“So any ideas on how we got here?” Bobby asked, looking around the group. Luke, Bobby and Reggie were sitting on the couch whilst Alex took the old lawn chair that had been stacked in the corner.

“Well us three died,” Luke replied, gesturing to himself and the other two hotdog eating idiots. “And we went to that weird room for like an hour and then it started to spin and now we’re here. No idea how though, or why.”

“Right, and Alex, what are you doing here?” Reggie asked, looking over at him. Bobby and Luke were also looking right at him, waiting for an answer. “Not that we aren’t happy you’re back.” He quickly followed up with.

“Oh, I, uh, I died too,” Alex replied. “And I also went to a weird room.” He added, trying not to think about how lonely he’d felt trapped in the small dark space. He glanced at Luke, noticing that his expression had fallen. 

“By yourself?” Bobby asked, and Alex simply nodded in response. He didn’t really want to talk about how horrible it had been, sitting with nothing but his thoughts and the prospect of eternity lying ahead of him.

“How did you die?” Reggie asked. 

“I fell down some stairs and hit my head,” Alex admitted. He left out the part about being too distracted by Luke’s mixtape to look where he was going.

“Always knew you were the clumsy one, Mercer.”

“Shut up Bobby, at least I didn’t die eating fucking hotdogs.” Alex’s tone was playful, a laugh escaping his lips. He never _ever_ thought he’d be joking about this particular subject but he was back with his friends and this is what they did. They ribbed each other and gave the others a hard time but it always came from a place of love. It was what he had been missing ever since the day they left.

“Oh, there’s something else,” Reggie added. “We thought we’d only been gone for like an hour but it turns-”

“Trust me, it was more than an hour.” Alex scoffed, cutting Reggie off. 

“What are you talking about?” Luke asked, eyeing him curiously.

“You’ve been dead for two years,” Alex explained. He could feel a lump building in his throat, knowing he was on the verge of tears, again. One of these days he would stop crying. “It’s 1997, guys.” 

The other three boys all exchanged looks with each other. There was silence as the other boys seemed to silently debate between themselves who was going to speak.

“We were gone for 2 years?” Luke’s voice was small and strained. His body language seemed to match as he shrank into the couch. 

“Yeah.” Alex nodded, staring at the ceiling in an attempt to reign his tears back. He’d never been an emotional person but at least he felt like he had a good reason now. “It fucking sucked.” Well, that was the understatement of the year. No, the decade. Actually, make it the understatement of the goddamn century, or millennium even.

Reggie and Bobby were whispering between themselves before Bobby threw his hands up in resignation. “Fine, I’ll tell him.”

“Tell me what?”

“Alex… it’s not 1997 anymore.” Bobby started. His tone was soft and tentative as if he didn’t know how Alex was going to take whatever it was he had to say. It just made Alex’s anxiety spike higher as his brain raced for suggestions on what it could be. 

“What?”

“As Reg was saying earlier, we thought we’d only be gone an hour or whatever. But Julie,” Bobby continued, gesturing towards the garage doors. “Julie told us it’s actually 2020.” 

“Yeah, like we’re in _the future._ ” Reggie chimed in, Bobby rolling his eyes at the bassist’s addition.

“What?” Alex repeated, trying to get his head around what he was being told.

“Yeah, it’s been twenty-five years,” Bobby replied. “Or I guess twenty-three for you.”

“I was in that room for _twenty-three years?_ ” 

Reggie and Bobby nodded. Alex tried to catch Luke’s eye but he was busy staring at his fingernails, looking lost in his thoughts. He almost looked… sad. Alex stared at him for a few seconds longer, deciding to investigate Luke’s mood later. He had a million other afterlife questions that needed to be asked first. 

-x-

After Julie had gone to bed, Luke took them all to the top of the Orpheum. Alex was still trying to get used to the idea of being able to teleport, and it made him feel slightly queasy whenever they did it. But that wasn’t what was important. No, the important thing was that he was back where he belonged, with the rest of Sunset Curve.

“The game’s not over boys.” Luke was saying. “I’m telling you, we’ve been given a second chance.” Luke had always been the band’s hype man, raising the boys’ spirits with his infectious energy and blind faith that they were going to make it big. “Let’s find some music, let’s see how many clubs we can hit before sunrise.”

“Yes, we don’t even need ID any more.” Reggie grinned. “We need to celebrate. Being back here, having Alex back, it’s all coming up us.”

“Yes, exactly!” 

“I’m in.” Bobby agreed. The three of them then turned to look at Alex.

“Sounds good to me.” Alex smiled. “But uh, Luke, can I talk to you for a minute?” 

Reggie and Bobby shared a look with each other.

“We’ll be at Lure - come find us when you’re done.” Reggie smiled, nodding at Bobby and then the two of them disappeared into thin air. 

Alex suddenly found his mind going blank now that he was alone with Luke. It was stupid, he’d pictured this moment a thousand times. He’d had hundreds of conversations with thin air, imagining Luke could hear him. He’d thought about what he’d say to him if he ever saw him again. Now Luke was here, and Alex couldn’t think of what to say first.

“Oh god, I’m a mess.” Alex couldn’t help but laugh, hiding his head in his hands. 

“That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?” Luke looked amused, his eyes were practically twinkling.

“I just don’t know what to say first.” Alex sighed. “I spent nearly two years thinking about what I would say if I saw you again and now I’ve just fucked it up.”

“I missed you.” Luke cut in. “So so much. I’ve never regretted a hotdog more. I’m so sorry I left you.”

“I missed you too.” Alex agreed, that seemed an easy place to start. He noticed that Luke was maintaining some distance between them, a sharp contrast to the extremely close hug he’d received when he first appeared in the studio. In fact, Luke seemed to have had a change of heart ever since the conversation on the couch when they realised Alex had been alive for another two years after the boys’ deaths.

“I… uh… where do we stand Luke?” Alex eventually stuttered his question out, staring out at the LA street in front of him rather than looking at Luke. It was what he really wanted to know, it was why he’d asked to talk to him alone.

“What?”

“You know, what are we? We were boyfriends when you died but you’ve been dead for twenty-five years and I’ve been dead for twenty-three. I spent two years without you.” Alex sighed. “What does that do to our relationship?”

“What do you want it to do?” Luke asked. Alex hated that he was putting the ball in Alex’s court. Luke was usually the one who took the lead, who ran into things and dragged Alex along with him. Alex was very happy being dragged, just letting himself go along with Luke’s plans and not worrying about having to be bold himself. 

Alex didn’t want to be the one to say it first, but it looked like Luke was forcing his hand. If he’d learned anything from his first life and his first relationship with Luke, it was that he needed to learn to put himself out there or otherwise he risked losing out on what he really wanted. He’d been given a second chance and there was no way in hell he was going to waste it.

“I want you.” Alex breathed out all in one go, and Luke suddenly looked ecstatic. “I don’t know how it works in the afterlife or what any of this even is, but I know I want you. I’ve wanted nothing else since the moment you left. I’m still in love with you, Luke.”

Luke suddenly closed the gap between them, and his lips were on Alex’s and his hands were on the back of Alex’s neck, pulling him closer. He was being kissed by Luke for the first time in twenty-five years. God he’d missed this. Alex kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Luke’s neck and holding on tight. He was never letting the boy go again. 

It was everything he’d spent the two years (and subsequent twenty-three) hoping for, wishing for and dreaming about. He had never in his wildest dreams ever thought he would get it. Luke had been gone, with no possibility of him coming back. Yet somehow they’d defied the odds and found each other again. All that time he’d spent in the dark room thinking he was in some kind of hell, but this definitely felt more like heaven. 

“I was scared you’d moved on,” Luke admitted when they finally broke apart. Well that explained the Luke being distant thing from before. He had obviously assumed that in the two years Alex was alive without them that the blond had moved on from him, had forgotten him.

“God no.” Alex chuckled softly, interlacing his hand with Luke’s. “I could never. Didn’t really want to either. I just spent two years moping about thinking about your dumb ass.”

Luke grinned, pressing a kiss against Alex’s cheek.

“I did go on one date.” 

“Yeah?” 

It was funny how it was a one-word answer but yet Alex could still detect a jealous undercurrent in Luke’s voice.

“He tried to hold my hand and I freaked out.” Alex laughed at the memory, even if it was horrifying at the time. “But you know what the cherry on top was? We saw your mom.”

“My mom?” Luke’s voice was soft, and curious.

“Yeah, she came over and said hi, but it just freaked me out more so I refused to touch him for the rest of the date.”

Luke practically cackled at that, at the idea that it was his mom who cockblocked Alex on his date. Though Alex knew he would have cockblocked himself if Emily hadn’t shown up. 

“Yes mom!”

“Hey your mom liked him, she told me herself.” 

“When did she tell you that? In front of him?”

“No, I went to see her the next week.” 

“You went to see my mom?”

“Yeah… we were friends.”

“You were friends… with my mom?” Luke’s voice was doing something strange, and he definitely looked confused.

“Yeah.” Alex nodded. “We both know my parents were assholes, and Reggie’s parents disappeared and Bobby’s didn’t really want anything to do with me. But your mom was really nice to me and we used to hang out together and talk about you.” 

Alex felt a little bad for sharing that since Luke now looked like he was the one about to cry. 

“We used to bake cakes together, especially if it was one of your birthdays.” He added, smiling fondly at the memory. He tried not to think about how it would now be just Emily baking the cakes alone, and that Alex’s birthday would be added to her list. “I’d even watch movies with her and your dad.”

Luke was wiping at his eyes so Alex wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into another tight hug. 

“They loved you so much,” Alex whispered, running his hand through Luke’s hair. “It was all forgiven, Luke. They didn’t care about any of the arguing stuff anymore.”

Luke stifled a sob at that point before trying to find his voice. “Did they know I wasn’t mad at them anymore either?”

“Yes, they did,” Alex said, rubbing circles on Luke’s back with one of his hands in an attempt to soothe him. “I told them that you loved them too, that you weren’t really as mad as you pretended to be.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Alex smiled softly, holding out his hand for Luke to grip onto. 

-x-

Alex and Luke poofed into Lure a short time later, scanning the crowded dance floor for any sign of Reggie and Bobby. The music was loud, vibrating through them even without physical bodies. The music itself was… _different_ from the songs they’d listened to in the 1990s. It was very electronic and synthesized. But given he’d spent the last twenty-three years in a silent room, Alex would take whatever music they could get. 

“Hey, over there.” Luke nodded across the room, spotting the two boys in an empty spot near the back. The pair made their way through the room of people. Literally through. Unable to see them, the alive people just waltzed straight into them and out the other side. 

Alex allowed himself to look at the people around them, raising his eyebrow at some of the outfit choices that had been made. The fashion was incredibly different with people in all kinds of different styles, colours and vibes. He definitely would have loved to have worn some of the more daring outfits he could see back in the 1990s but he knew it would have come with outright judgement and scorn, especially from his parents. 

He also noticed at least five gay couples on their walk over to Reggie and Bobby. Some of them had just been straight up making out, with no apparent concern for their safety. With a quick glance around, no-one seemed to even be paying them any attention. People weren’t looking twice. Had Lure turned into some kind of gay club or was this just a 2020 thing? Alex would definitely have to find out, excited by the idea of mainstream acceptance even if he wasn’t alive to enjoy the benefits of that fully. 

“What are you guys doing back here?” Alex asked Reggie and Bobby once they reached them. He was surprised they weren’t out in the middle of the dancefloor with everyone else.

“It turns out people just moving through you gets annoying.” Reggie sighed. “So the empty space works better.” 

“Hey Reg, told you they’d work it out,” Bobby commented, nodding towards Alex and Luke’s interlaced hands. “Now we just gotta wait for Luke to start writing sappy love songs and then it really will be 1995 again.” He teased, dodging sideways as Luke dived towards him. 

-x-

They made it to six clubs before the sky started to fade to pink and the sun began to make an appearance. 

It got easier as they went on. More and more of the alive people were heading home so the clubs gradually got emptier, leaving them more room to dance with each other without getting passed through.

It was so refreshing to hear music, even if most of it was new and unfamiliar to them. They had lived and breathed music for so long and it had technically been twenty-five years since they’d got to enjoy it together. 

The last club they got to was having a 1980s night, and so they didn't leave. They were there until the lights came on, screaming along to their favourite childhood tracks. Luke didn’t even flinch when he heard Whitney come on, indulging Alex as he sang along instead of complaining like he used to. 

Alex and Reggie danced together as they always had, as if no-one was watching. Each of them encouraged the other as they let loose. They didn’t need alcohol, they were just drunk on the music and on each other. The two of them even broke out their old dance routine when Wham!’s _Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go_ started to play, much to Luke and Bobby’s embarrassment. Alex didn’t see what the big deal was, it wasn’t even like anyone else could see them this time. 

Plus Alex got to dance with Luke again, even if their dancing now mostly consisted of their hips grinding together as they made out. Bobby and Reggie heckled them but Alex couldn’t bring himself to care. He had twenty-five years to make up for, he was going to have Luke’s tongue in his mouth for as long as he wanted. The others could just look away.

They eventually hit the brakes when it became clear that they were starting to escalate above publicly acceptable behaviour. Luke had whispered a “ _Later”_ in his ear, a promise of more which Alex couldn’t wait to see out.

-x-

It was weird, that it had taken Alex dying for him to feel so alive. The most alive he’d ever felt.

He voiced that thought as the four of them sat in their old spot on the beach, watching the sunrise. 

“Weird.” Reggie agreed. 

“Yeah.” Luke smiled, his arm firmly wrapped around Alex’s waist, his head nestled in his neck. “Who knew?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed it 
> 
> I'm sure I'll be back with more fics soon (especially of the Luke/Alex variety) and I already have at least one new idea on the go.
> 
> Until next time 💖


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